5 Things To Never Say To A Walker

Nothing puts a damper on a postwalk endorphin rush like a buzzkill comment about your workout. If you're a walker, you've likely been there, hearing questions such as: "But why don't you run?" or "Don't you get bored?" Queries like these are misinformed, says Franklin Antoian, an ACE-certified personal trainer in Delray Beach, FL, and founder of the online personal training website, iBodyFit.com.

"Walking is a great workout," says Antoian. "Anyone can do it anywhere, it doesn't cost anything, it gets you outside—often with friends—and it can be a lot of fun."

Alice Williams, 24, a power-walker in Salt Lake City, agrees, adding that it can be a big bummer to hear friends and acquaintances scoff at her choice of cardio. "It bothers me when people assume that it's not a good workout—or that I'd be so much better off if I were to choose a different exercise," she says.

Williams says that no matter how much research she brings up on the benefits of walking, people still think they need to be running in order for it to count as exercise. But the scientific evidence is on the side of walkers: One study found that calorie-for-calorie burned, walking offers the same benefits as running when it comes to lower risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even cardiovascular disease.

What's more, sweating is a terrible gauge of how hard you're working, says Antoian. "It takes me a good 40 minutes to work up a sweat, whereas I have clients who start sweating within 5 minutes," he says. "The notion that if you're not sweating, you're not really working out is a total myth. What you really want to clue in to is your heart rate—and if that's elevated, you're officially doing a cardio workout."

Yes, you may need to walk longer—or faster—to burn the same number of calories as you would running in the same amount of time. A 140-pound woman will burn about 267 calories walking at a 5 mph pace for 30 minutes, while she'd burn about 367 calories running at 7 mph for 30 minutes. Yet that doesn't mean walking should be discounted as a good workout, says Antoian—especially because there are plenty of ways to power up your next walk to burn more calories. "You can add some high-intensity interval training by picking up your pace for a minute or so—or by choosing landmarks," he says. For example, you might pick up your usual 5 mph speed to a 6.5 mph pace for 30 seconds every 2 minutes, or speed up for the distance between every other telephone pole when you pass 10 of them, he says. Bonus: "This is easy to do, will increase your calorie burn in a shorter amount of time, and will keep your walking workouts exciting," says Antoian.

Williams says one of her best friends is constantly asking her this question, which she can't quite understand. "I listen to podcasts on my walks and even download vlogs to watch while I'm walking," she says. "There are so many ways to stay entertained and to keep a walking workout exciting." Antoian agrees, noting that high-intensity bursts are definitely one way to keep boredom at bay. Even if excitement is an issue, that's true of any workout, he says.

There are a number of reasons why walkers might not like to run. For starters, it can be stressful. "For some people, running amps them up, whereas walking helps them unwind while still getting a great workout," says Antoian. What's more, he says a lot of walkers avoid running because it can be really painful if you have past injuries or chronic discomfort in your knees, ankles, neck, or low back. "If you have an injury, if you're prone to injury, or if you're recovering from one, every step you take when you run is a potential risk for re-injury—whereas walking has very little risk of injury," he says. With this in mind, a question like this can feel too personal. "Maybe a walker doesn't want to talk about his or her injury," says Antoian. "It's really nobody's business why someone chooses to walk rather than run." And of course, some people might just prefer to walk, plain and simple.

Antoian says this is a common sentiment among his younger clients, who think they'll get better results if they choose higher-impact cardio exercises. "The bottom line is that walking works for everyone," he says. "It comes down to what you prefer and whether or not the higher-impact exercises feel OK on your body and are safe for you to do."

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